Back on the knitting horse

I've been unmotivated as of late to work anything to completion. I started Yggdrasil and I'm through the tree section and well into the first border. I plan on working it through the leaf border. It should take a few more years (or a couple weeks if I actually do solid work).

I've also almost finished transcribing a pattern for some delightful little mitts I made up rather on the fly (and by on the fly I mean after a few hours of careful jotting. You know. the fly). I'm a little proud of them because I had to basically invent 2 decreases and an increase to achieve the look I wanted. I'm sure someone somewhere at some other point in time has done something similar (vague), but I haven't encountered it yet, so I give myself bonus points for ingenuity and stuff. I'll post pictures when I remember to take them.  There's also a bunny rabbit making tutorial in the works, since I received a commission for a second one and I took loads of pictures this time.

So there's that.  In other news, I ran into a free Herbert Niebling pattern this week, Sternzopf or Star Lichen. So I started it last night and finished it this morning. It's only 44 rows and a crochet bind off, so a strong desire to knit lace was all it took to power through this bugger.  He's knit in the remnants of my totoro guitar strap, a delightful little number I made for my brother's birthday (he received it for Christmas. His birthday is not in December). I love Herbert Niebling. He challenges me in ways most designers simply don't. Most of this is because his notation is entirely different from standard US charting so I have to pay attention, but part of it is the 10 stitch cables in the middle of delicate lace and the 13 stitch increases to make the openwork I previously thought only lovely in crochet. I love that man a little bit.

The Star Lichen is truly darling. It's supposed to be knit in itty-bitty yarn on itty-bitty needles, but I knit mine on 4s and the yarn is technically fingering weight. My finished piece is about 2.5x a large as the original. It's darling. I can't wait for it to finish blocking so that I can decide what on earth to do with a 12 inch doily when I own no end tables :)